Elliott Returns to the No. 21

NASCAR past champion Bill Elliott, will be back behind the wheel of the Wood Brothers Racing no. 21 U.S. Air Force Ford Fusion at Lowe’s Motor Speedway for the Bank of America 500 on October 11th. Elliott has 57 starts at the 1.5 mile quad-oval and two career wins in 1984 and 1987. He also holds four pole awards, 11 top-5 and 22 top-10 finishes at the track.

1987 was a notable year for Elliott as he earned six victories and Lowe’s Motor Speedway was one of them. He led 62 laps of the October race and brought home the checkered flag. Another significant moment was one that Elliott had involvement in at the All-Star Race earlier that year. The legendary “Pass in the Grass" resulted from a close finish between the “Intimidator" Dale Earnhardt and Bill. After the green flag dropped with 10 laps to go, Earnhardt, in his known aggressive manner, knocked the leaders out of the way but, when he and Bill battled for the top spot, Bill pushed Earnhardt into the grass on the front stretch. Earnhardt was able to get the car under control and stayed on the gas to pass Elliott and ultimately won. Although it was a frustrating finish for Elliott, it’s one of his most memorable and is still considered to be one of Lowe’s Motor Speedway’s most talked about incidents.